Sir Michael salutes author for writing about the plight of leatherback turtles

GRAND Chief Sir Michael Somare has praised author Wencelaus Magun for highlighting the endangered leatherback turtles in his book Return of the Turtles.
Sir Michael launched the book in Madang on Saturday during a fundraising dinner for September’s medical symposium.
“I understand Wenceslaus has spent the past 20 years researching the endangered leatherback turtles, the largest turtles in the world that migrated between Papua New Guinea and South America, a distance of 8000 nautical miles (about 13,000km),” Sir Michael said.
The former prime minister said that like many other sea creatures, leatherback turtles had difficulty surviving in today’s environment. “They face danger from purse seiner (fishing) and gill nets used by commercial fishing boats and by all of us in the way we throw plastic bags, bottles and other rubbish into the sea which are swallowed by turtles, dolphins and sharks that result in blocking of their intestines and
ultimately a cruel death,” Sir Michael said.
“Wenceslaus is to be commended for the initiative he has taken to undertake awareness in villages throughout Papua New Guinea, speaking to school children and finally writing a
book about his research, which will be distributed widely, which hopefully will make us all aware of the fragile existence sea life now have to endure to survive.
“Being from a coastal area and knowing just how important sea life is to countless millions of people, I congratulate Wenceslaus and hope that it serves as an example that home-grown experts can make a big difference to the world we live in.
“I thank Sir Peter and the Melanesian Foundation for publishing the book on behalf of Wenceslaus.”